Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-14
CULLOM'S BILLS.
He Wants the Postal Telegraph Es.
tablished as Part OF she Postal
System Of the Country,
And TO Include Express, Sleeping Csr and
Other transportation Companies In
the Inter State CommtFcs Law.

WASHINGTON, Dec. Is The postal tel
egraph bill introduced by Senator Cullom
to-day establishes the Omitted States
Postal Telegraph" as 8 part of the postal
system Of the United States, and for the
purpose Of inauguratlng the system pro
vides that the following telegraph trunk
| lines shall first be constructed: One from
! Washington to Portland, Me-. via Bslti-
more. Philadelphia, New York and Bos-
ton; one from Washington to Minnesp-
oils, via Pittspurg, Cleveland, Chicago,
Milwaukee and st. Paul; one
from New YORK city to
Cleveland. Wis Albany and Buffalo;
one from Pittsburg to Topeks, Kas., Gin
clnnsti, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Kan
sas City and minor towns near large
cities; one~ from Toledo to Detroit, and
one from Washington to Galveston, via
Richmond, Atlanta and New Orleans; one
| from Chicago to New Orleans, Wis Indisn-
spolls. Louisville, Memphis and Vlcks-
burg; one from Chicago TO st. Louis;
one from Chicsgo 10 San Francisco, via
Omaha and Salt Lake City; one from
Cheyenne to Denver.
Postal telegraph offices are to be opened
at the places named and at all intermedi-
ate points at which first, second and
third class posto fhces are established.
Branch lines, it provides, shall be made
from time to time Gs appropriations ere
made by Congress, the intention being 10
connect the lines with all cities where
the postal free delivery system prevails,
blu. no additional facilities are to be pro-
vided in states already connected with
trunk lines until the postal telegraph
Offices have been established in every
state or territory. The system is to be
constructed in straight lines as near IS
possible, but regard is to be taken Of
cities that will afford the best telegraph
facilities to the public.
The lines are to be constructed by the
engineer corps Of the army and then
transferred to the custody of the Post
master General. The poles are to be OF
iron, wires Of copper, and all other ma
terialS OF the best character. Eight wires
sre to be strung on the lines from New
York to Chicago and four upon the other
lines. The Secretary Of War is authorized
to use the military service lines of the
United States as far as ezpedIent; elso to
make all necessary COMBINATIONS Of
lands or buildings at fair compensation. |
The Secretary is further authorized to |
construct, take and use all machinerY and |
devices, not including telegraph lines, |
whether patented or not, SIS shall be |
deemed necessary. The sums o. money |
necessary for this purpose are appropri- |
ated by the bill. 4 rate OF 10 cents for |
each twenty words, s.nd cents for each |
additional ten words is fixed for distances |
under 500 miles, and an additional 5 cent |
rate OF 80 cents and a day rate Of Is cents |
is fixed for each leo words transmitted for |
except that where the same |
dispatch is dropped Off at more than one |
off ;e, the Iates shall be % and 90 cents !
for each dropped copy. The
office of director general OF telegraph is
created as a part OF the Postoffice De-
partment. 1t Is made the duty Of the
Postmaster General 20 report to Con-
gress after the passage CT the act plan
for the complete organization OF the
postal Telegraph system with detailed es-
Inmates of the men and money needed be-
fore the system is put into operation and
employees selected. Examinations are to
be held by the civil service commission to
determine the fitness of applicants. -Four
million dollars is appropriated for the
lines provided for by the act.
The biIlintroduced BY Senator Collum to-
day to amend the interstate commerceli&|
embodies the most important suggestions |
that have been made for the corrections |
OF defects in the law, including the recon-
men 1ations of the cmmissioners. The |
are voluminous. The Ser-
etor proposes to make the law apply TO |
,v.tn oil
panies, palace car companies, stock csf |
companies, tank car companies and any
other companies, associations or persons |
furnishing .or public use upon raiiwsy
cars or other instrumentalities fOf |
property. He also proposes to PROHIBIT |
pooling between railroads aud other car
riers as we'll as between railroads. 10 |
the section in relation to the publication |
of rates, the Senator proroses
to repeal the provision of
the present law in regard to ad-
v.nces and reductions in rates and make |
them apply to Joint through rates, and |
the short haul provision is also made to |
apply specially to j oint through rates. |
It is also proposed to
authorize the commission to prescribe
form in which all rates shall be printed |
for public inspection. A charge is also
proposed in the section relating to the |
award OF damages by the COM
mission, 50 as to better pro-
vide - for the enforcement of the
finding Of the commission in such cases.
It is also proposed to make the commits
sion independent of the Interior Depart
ment, as recommended by Secretary La
mar in his recent report, and few other
verbal and unimportant charges are sug-
gested.